“(My assistant manager and I) said he reminds us of Desailly, even if maybe Bakayoko is even more technical.”

It’s a remarkable turnaround for the player, who became a target of derision at the Bridge after his £40 million move from Monaco turned into a nightmare.

A bright start to the 2017-18 campaign, in which Bakayoko was even rewarded with his own song by the Blues’ faithful, quickly faded as it began to look like he was ill-equipped for the pace of the Premier League.